Food Frenzy

Katherine Cusumano | Photo: Courtesy Image | July 18, 2013

Next week, some of the the best restaurants around Manhattan will take part in the biannual Restaurant Week, with special fixed-price lunch and dinner menus for three weeks in July and August. Our favorites run the gamut from Asian fusion to New American.

Morimoto
Iron chef Masaharu Morimoto flies fish directly from the Tokyo fish market to his eponymous restaurant every other day. His restaurant fuses Japanese techniques (Morimoto was trained by chefs in his homeland and collects traditional tools) with American sensibilities. DETAILS Mon-Fri lunch, 88 Tenth Ave./ 16th St., 212.989.8883, morimotonyc.com

ilili
Ilili, the Arabic word for “tell me,” boasts a modern take on Lebanese cuisine. Restaurant week menu options range from traditional Mediterranean mainstays such as hummus, falafel and branzino to options for the more adventurous palate such as a boneless ribeye steak with semolina dumplings. DETAILS Mon-Fri lunch and dinner, 236 Fifth Ave./ 27th St., 212.683.2929, ililinyc.com

Il Mulino
With a whopping 27 rating, Il Mulino is the second-highest Zagat-rated Italian restaurant in New York. While there are now six Il Mulino outposts around the country, the original Greenwich Village location remains a bastion of red-sauce Italian cuisine that offers sophisticated versions of classic dishes. DETAILS Mon-Fri lunch, 86 W. 3rd St./ Sullivan St., 212.673.3783, ilmulino.com